Hot Trailer: 'Battle: Los Angeles'

As the alien invasion movie Skyline is unleashed today by Relativity Media and Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment has released a teaser for Battle: Los Angeles, a big scale alien invasion movie set for released in March. The battle between these two films goes beyond a simple same-subject rivalry; there is real bad blood here. As Deadline first revealed in August, SPE has made noises about seeking legal recourse because Skyline directors Greg and Colin Strause run Hydraulx, the visual effects house that created many of the effects for the rival film. The studio cried foul that the Straus siblings had access to every facet of Battle: Los Angeles‘s playbook and then went out and quietly made a rival film designed to hit the marketplace almost four months earlier. SPE never actually filed suit but there could be ramifications down the line if Skyline steals its thunder or if a case can be made that VFX innovations paid for by a film with exponentially more expensive found their way into Skyline. Here’s the Battle: Los Angeles trailer:

80 Comments

kabbe • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

much better than Skyline.

black balls • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Oh, now I see how a message board came about with so many positive comments on the techno dribble this movie calls a soundtrack! This sight is owned by the retards who made the film! Now I see why so many good comments ridiculing the crappy “music” of the film are deleted. This also explains why so many people are praising it! I knew there couldn’t be that many retards who could type!

The music SUCKS!

RB • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

It looks better and more serious than Skyline.

ety3 • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

For me, this looks far more interesting than “Skyline.”

Anonymous • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Early word is Skyline is a trainwreck. If its as bad as people are saying, I don’t think Battle LA has much to worry about in terms of its thunder being stolen…though Skyline could well put people off alien invasion movies for a while.

jake • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Skyline looks better and shockingly very little advertisements until recently.

wtf • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

HUH?! What part of Skyline looks better exactly? The ‘been there done that’ scenario of a small group of diverse young people surviving impending doom? The cliches? The bad acting? The F-list cast? The silly lights? Yikes. Skyline is a trainwreck indeed and it’s obvious. You paint up a bomb with some nice effects, but it’s still a bomb.

jake • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

After being so excited to see Skyline — I take it back — this is one of the worst movies of the year and I rarely say that about any movie. Such a horrible script with no plot. Ughhhh.

WOW • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Battle LA looks REALLY good, and has a great cast. Skyline on the other hand looks like pure garbage and with a joke cast no less. Skyline will do ‘ok’, but I think BLA will be a huge huge blockbuster. And that’s as it should be.

Finally! A movie about invading aliens who nearly destroy Earth before we puny Americans find a way to win!

What’s next? A zombie movie about a small group of survivors struggling to live – and not kill each other – after a plague turns most of mankind into the walking dead?

…Has the Original Idea Factory been closed for repairs or something?

Jack • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Bitter bitter bitter, blah blah blah.

blah blah blah • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Yuck.

paul • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Nothing Can Prepare You
For What’s Next
Except Watching
Independence Day
Then Maybe War of the Worlds
BLA

Tom • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Repurposing visual effects assets and technology is not uncommon. Often, work done on one film has impact on future projects.

You never throw away or lock up in a safe great effects shots which have elements for future use.

This is a tricky slope, but certainly not surprising. Most companies avoid any use which appears to be the same, but it does happen, and will continue in the future.

The bigger problem with Skyline is that it looks terrible with or without the effects.

juidy landis • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

“Battle” looks and feels FANTASTIC. This is a true blockbuster.”Battle is a movie that I
will tell the word about. Skyline looks phony, Im sorry to say. “Battle makes me wonder.
Cannot wait to see Battle, not to mention the wonderful cast that “Battle has”

HW • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

So it’s “Independence Day” without Will Smith…

Maybe I’m dense, but I don’t understand Sony’s reasoning for not filing suit; the following sentence makes no sense: “SPE never actually filed suit but there could be ramifications down the line if Skyline steals its thunder or if a case can be made that VFX innovations paid for by a film with 30 times its budget found their way into Skyline.”

So, Sony didn’t file a suit because their film might get its “thunder stolen?” And that affects the merits of the case how? And how does the budget disparity factor into the merits of the case? IP theft is IP theft.

Doesn’t make any sense, clarify please.

And I’ve heard “Skyline’s” budget was around 20M, and I doubt Battle: LA is a 600M film.

Tim W. • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

If Skyline comes and goes without hardly anyone noticing and doesn’t affect the ticket sales of Battle: Los Angeles, then there’s simply no point in filing suit. It’s not worth the money to hire the lawyer.

From the looks of both trailers (and the reviews for Skyline), Sony has very little to worry about. I’m going to pass on Skyline but definitely am interested in Battle: Los Angeles.

Chris • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Freaky, off tempo music creating an unsettling, discordant vibe, building tension, minimal reveal on the aliens…now that’s a hot trailer.

“Early word is Skyline is a trainwreck. If its as bad as people are saying, I don’t think Battle LA has much to worry about in terms of its thunder being stolen…though Skyline could well put people off alien invasion movies for a while.”

I agree. If anything, Skyline will cause people to not go see Battle LA.

Rich J • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

I agree. Went to go see Skyline last night and we walked out about 45 minutes in when the person who who picked the movie said he couldn’t take anymore.

He called the movie benedryl since it was putting him to sleep.

immature • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Oh, that’s good.

Signs • on Nov 12, 2010 7:12 am

Didn’t love the script (hint: bugs, freeways, ocean) but seeing as it cost 10-15 times what Skyline did the computer effects should be incredible.